Old News
Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward Him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve Him. Romans 12:11
Insight
If you repeat a word enough times in quick succession, the word loses its meaning. Scientists call this phenomenon “semantic satiation.” You can experience this sensation yourself: choose a random word, and say it to yourself over and over. Oddly, the word starts to feel like it isn’t a word.
When things become a little too familiar, they often lose their meaning. When we sing a song many times, we don’t digest the lyrics as much as we might’ve when we first heard it. When we see someone often, we can take them for granted or forget how much they mean to us. When we experience privileges regularly, such as being able to afford food or having access to clean water, we don’t stop to think about their significance.
When this takes place in our spiritual lives, it can be catastrophic. When we hear the Gospel being preached often, we can forget its radical and transformational power. When we talk about God and read about His character regularly, we can fail to appreciate how glorious and loving He truly is. Though routine spiritual disciplines are critical to our faith, they can put us in danger of becoming numb to the brilliance of our God if we are not careful. We can start treating the Good News like Old News.
We cannot become flippant to the realities of God’s saving grace. In the gospels, Jesus reminds us to approach God with child-like wonder (Luke 18:17). When we catch ourselves becoming desensitized to the awe-inspiring nature of God; we can pray and ask Him to help us encounter Him as little kids do. In His power, we can see the wonder in Who He is and the glory of His creation once again. He will give us fresh eyes to see Him as if we were seeing Him for the first time.
We have to shake up our routines to reinvigorate our passion for God. We have to be intentional to encounter Him in a variety of ways. We can get creative with how we spend time with Him! Studying our Bibles and journaling are great avenues to commune with Him. Still, sometimes we need to blast worship music in our car, spend an evening in prayer, or meditate on His goodness while watching a brilliant sunset.
We have to be deliberate and look at Him from new angles. We have to get curious and explore the countless facets of His character. We must be diligent to ensure our faith-life doesn’t become boring or monotonous to us. There is always more of God to discover! There is an abundance of blessings to praise Him for!
Reflection
Do you ever find yourself becoming numb to the Gospel? How can you refresh your perspective?
Prayer
Abba, thank you for who You are. Thank you for saving me, forgiving me of my every misstep, and securing a place for me in Your house. Thank you for giving me unrestricted access to Your love. Thank you for blessing me in countless ways. I apologize for the times I have become numb to who You are and what You’ve done for me. I ask You to remind me to slow down and see You with fresh eyes. Help me to see the limitless magic and glory that are found in You. Make me aware of when I take Your salvation for granted, and empower me to encounter You anew. In Your name, Amen.
Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today's devotional.